Philippines

The Philippines consist of over 7,000 islands clustered in three large groups – Luzón in the north, Visayas in the middle and Mindanao in the south. With about 1,000 islands larger than 1km² there’s awesome potential for discovery. While English should get you by in this former US colony, travelling through the tropical archipelago is difficult; the climate is hot and humid, transport by bus or boat time-consuming, communications rudimentary, and the security situation tense. Almost unruffled by the country’s problems, the little holiday island of Boracay in the middle of the archipelago has become a favourite winter destination for the world’s kiters and windsurfers, with reliable monsoon winds and idyllic palm-strewn beaches. There are countless neighbouring islands too, and our scouts have filed the first reports on Luzón’s Pacific coast.